Beginner-Friendly Native Plants

These are some of our favorite easy and rewarding plants for the beginner native plant gardener. Source: North Coast CNPS Nursery Committee

Any Full Sun Part Shade Full Shade Full Sun Only Part Shade Only Full Shade Only

Any Low Moderate Tall

Any Perennial Herbs Shrubs Trees Annual Herbs Grasses Vines Ferns Succulents

Common Name Scientific Name	Sun	Height	Type	Humboldt Native
Common Yarrow Achillea millefolium		Low 1 - 3 ft	P	✓
Beach evening-primrose Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia		Low ~ 1 ft	P	✓
Seaside Daisy Erigeron glaucus		Low < 1 ft	P	✓
Beach Strawberry Fragaria chiloensis		Low < 1 ft	P	✓
Douglas Iris Iris douglasiana		Low 1 - 3 ft	P	✓
California Bee Plant Scrophularia californica		Moderate 2 - 4 ft	P	✓
Checker Bloom Sidalcea malviflora		Low < 2 ft	P	✓
Blue Eyed Grass Sisyrinchium bellum		Low 1 - 2 ft	P	✓
Yellow Eyed Grass Sisyrinchium californicum		Low ~ 1 ft	P	✓
California Aster Symphyotrichum chilense		Low 1 - 3 ft	P	✓
Piggyback Plant Tolmiea diplomenziesii		Low ~ 1 ft	P	✓
California Lilac Ceanothus thyrsiflorus		Tall 2 - 30 ft		✓
Bush Monkeyflower Diplacus aurantiacus		Moderate 4 - 5 ft		✓
Red Bush Monkey Flower Diplacus (mimulus) puniceus		Low 1 - 2 ft
California Wax Myrtle Morella californica		Tall 6 - 33 ft		✓
Western Azalea Rhododendron occidentale		Tall 6 - 16 ft		✓
Red Flowering Currant Ribes sanguineum		Tall 7 - 13 ft		✓
Red Elderberry Sambucus racemosa		Tall 7 - 20 ft		✓
California Poppy Eschscholzia californica		Low < 2 ft	A	✓
California Goldfields Lasthenia californica		Low ~ 1 ft	A	✓
Common Tidy Tips Layia platyglossa		Low 1 - 2 ft	A
Baby Blue Eyes Nemophila menziesii		Low ~ 1 ft	A	✓
Coast Phacelia Phacelia californica		Low 1 - 2 ft	A	✓
Cream Cups Platystemon californicus		Low ~ 1 ft	A	✓
Sword Fern Polystichum munitum		Moderate 2 - 6 ft		✓
Broad-leaved Stonecrop Sedum spathulifolium		Low < 1 ft		✓